It's bittersweet news for the College Football Playoff.
While social media was abuzz with the result of Monday's College Football Playoff national championship, TV viewership didn't necessarily reflect the hype.
On Monday, Georgia won its first national title since 1980, which was watched by an average of 22.6 million viewers.
The good news for ESPN appears to be that ratings for Georgia's 33–18 win over Alabama were up from last season's title game. However, that matchup between Alabama and Ohio State produced the worst ratings of the playoff era with an average of 18.6 million viewers.
Monday's national championship comes in as the second-lowest viewership of the playoff era, and the second-lowest title game viewership in 16 years.
By comparison, the 2018 national championship between Alabama and Georgia drew 28.4 million viewers. Meanwhile, the SEC championship between the two rivals last month hit 17.9 million viewers, making it the highest rated non-bowl game this season, per Sports Media Watch.
The inaugural CFP national championship in 2015 between Oregon and Ohio State still holds the record for the highest viewership of the playoff era with an average of 34.2 million viewers.
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